Hippo Hunting: Part One.

Hello Folks!

It's been quite a while since my last post, and alot has happened. We went on a hunting trip (we didn't have the greatest luck), the ladies went on a visit to the States (we ate alot of hot dogs that month, not that I don't like to cook but -->), I got malaria for the first time, and we went hippo cropping (which is what this post is actually about).

First off, let me explain the difference between hunting and cropping. Hunting is trying to kill an animal while placing bounds on your ability to get them. Daylight only shooting, fair chase ethics and so on are all part of that. The point is being ethical, following the laws, and giving the animal a chance to win.

Cropping has, of course, some things in common; you still try to see to it that none of the animals suffer etc, however, normal hunting laws do not apply to cropping. Cropping is eliminating animals because there are too many or they're causing problems, and it's only by authorized personnel.

The game office allowed us to help them reduce the numbers of a pod of hippos in an area near a fishing village near a lake. According the village headman, two people have been killed there this year alone.

So off we went..

We met up with the game officers and drove a few

hours to village. We met with people in the village, got a boat motor from the police station and went to the area.

It was late morning by this point and we loaded up into a boat and went to look for them.

We found them quickly and decided to get off the boat and shoot from land. Dad set up on a little bipod and we tried to look for the biggest one as their heads poked above the water. Dad chose his target and made what looked to be a good shot.

The unusual thing about hippo hunting is that (1) you will rarely see them on land. Off course we would have preferred to get them out of water but it's usually not possible. And (2) you must shoot them in the brain, which is a small target. once you've shot them though, they disappear under water; whether you missed or not.

A few minutes after the shot we moved down the river a couple hundred yards to where most of them were. I was next in line and after choosing I shot and the hippo disappeared

The third interesting thing about hippo hunting is how they are retrieved. After shooting, you must wait from 15 minutes to several hours for the gasses in their stomach to expand. They then float to the surface, you hook onto a leg tow them to shore, them onto land.

So after shooting we went back to the village and ate lunch. Then we went back and founds Dad's floating and started to work on it (you can't field dress a hippo, you cut it up where it is).

They're a chore to move.

After a while we found mine too, which was a relief after spending two or three hours wondering if I missed.

It takes a crew of about ten men a couple hours at least to get them cut up. As the light faded some took trips back in the boat bringing meat and people back and forth.

It was after dark when I went back on the last boatload.

(drifting almost into a group of hippo after dark when the engine stalls is pretty fun)

Much later we went to sleep in the town courthouse on our sleeping bags.

To be continued....